'We're worried officials will split us up': Northamptonshire couple spend valentine's day quarantined on board coronavirus cruise ship

A Northamptonshire couple on board the quarantined coronavirus-carrying cruise ship say they are scared they will be separated if either one of them is diagnosed with the virus.

David Abel and his wife Sally have been quarantined on board the Diamond Princess for 11 days now after an outbreak of Corvid-19 two weeks ago.

The grandparents, who have been married for more than 50 years, have been broadcasting life on the ship through regular Facebook videos and TV interviews.

Now, in an interview with Good Morning Britain on February 13, the Woodford Halse couple say they are worried they will be separated by health officials if either of them test positive for the virus - something which has already happened to others on board.

David and Sally told Good Morning Britain yesterday: "It doesn't matter how long you've been married, couples have been separated.

"Elderly couples, one I understand in their eighties, have been split up. It's very, very worrying for those on board."

His wife Sally added: 'We've been together 50 years and the thought of one of us being positive and one not and being split is very scary."

The quarantine began on a dock in Yokohama on February 3. Over 3,700 people including staff and passengers were ordered to stay in their cabins and told they would be brought meals by staff and allowed out for fresh air in shifts.

In his regular videos, Mr Abel has said how a sense of "despondency" has set in for many passengers.

The strict living conditions are set to last until February 19 when officials will begin releasing people who test negatively for the virus.

In the interview with Good Morning Britain, the couple say they have "got on pretty well" during the ordeal and have had "no arguments" - but say the enforced stay is "getting harder" for them and many others.

Mrs Abel said: "We're just wishing it was over.

"It's a nightmare you just want to wake up from."

The Daily Mail report that 219 people of the 713 tested on board the Diamond Princess have been infected by the virus as of yesterday.